‘Math Fun’

We love to visit the carnival for the rides, but those $5 games for a chance to get a dollar store piece of junk that will break before you leave the parking lot hold way too much sway over my kids We try to skip the carnival games at the fair and make our own fun at home while learning why those big stuffed animals are so difficult to win!

When you factor in back-to-school stress, a lack of holidays, and swampy levels of heat and humidity, the dog days of August can make you feel loopy. You could try to get all those errands, meals, and piano lessons done while meditating your way to inner peace, but we prefer to take the opposite approach: let yourself go a little bit crazy. In honor of our Crazy 8s club, we’re bringing you 3 wild water games to squeeze the last drop of fun out of summer. On that note, we’re pleased to introduce our latest free downloadable printable, Math with a Splash!

Heading to the beach can be a pricey excursion when you add in the costs of lunch, snacks and drinks, so we like to bring our own. Knowing that my boys will have sandy hands come snack time, I figured out a fun fingerless way to enjoy fresh fruit—fruit kebabs.

As we approach the halfway point of summer, we can certainly feel one effect of the sun’s energy: its warmth. Did you know there’s another fun and beautiful way to see the effects of the sun’s energy? We’re going to use the sun as a big photo developer in the sky by making sun prints!

Piñatas are always a “hit” with kids at outdoor picnics and parties. It’s one of the few chances kids get to whack at an object repeatedly with a stick — what’s more, instead of a getting a time-out for destroying the object, they get candy!

Ahoy, mateys! My buccaneers love to play with water and the recent Float Your Boat printable got us thinking more about water crafts. Is there a reason we do not see round or triangular pirate ships? We are going to explore this, so grab your pirate hat and let’s get started.

Summer brings lots of creepy crawlies and buzzing bugs. Many kids are naturally curious about our six-legged friends, but learn to fear them based on adult reactions. Take a positive approach to these multi-legged invaders and catch (and release) them for observation and math!

This summer, our travels are taking us to the bonny hills and dales of Scotland. For one glorious week, we’ll be taking in the sights and sounds of Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Loch Lomond. To celebrate, the kids and I made a batch of traditional Scottish Shortbread to enjoy with a glass of milk (or, if you’re British, a cuppa tea!). Shortbread is one of the easiest cookies to make; it only requires 3 basic ingredients!

Water balloon battles are great fun, but I like to “green” our family whenever I can. That’s where sponge balls come in. They provide cool splashtastic fun, just like water balloons, but can be re-used and won’t leave bits of latex all over the grass. And they’re easy to make!